Judges 7:2; NASB
And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, otherwise Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has saved me.’

“Less is more.” Have you ever heard or used this phrase? It is intended to bring a more simplistic approach to things.

The idea is that having just the essential things is better than having way too much superfluous things. It allows you to focus on what matters.

Oftentimes it is used in advertising, or design. Sometimes we want to fill every aspect of the page with text or some design element. Don’t waste any room.

I always heard the term used in the context of music. Being a musician, and a drummer, it is learning that not every part of the song needs to be a drum solo or a guitar solo. Keeping the song simple, allowing space, creates an incredible dynamic in music. But if you crowd it with too much, it is difficult to listen to or discern what is happening.

Meaning, often as a drummer I was reminded, less is more.

Gideon is an interesting story in the Bible (you can read his whole story in Judges 6:11-8:35). Gideon was called by God to lead/judge Israel.

In this specific passage, God is leading Gideon to defeat the Midianites, for they were oppressing Israel. And as Gideon/Israel is preparing for battle God says, “Stop. You have too many with you. We need to reduce the numbers.”

Now, I imagine, as one leading an army to fight another group of people, “less is more” is not necessarily the strategy you want to have. In this instance I would prefer the thinking, “more is better.” Right?

But God has a habit of working in strange ways I don’t always understand.

So Gideon tells his army, “If anyone is afraid to fight, it’s ok. Go back home now.” And then, 22,000 soldiers left, leaving Gideon with 10,000 soldiers. I can only imagine the gut check, the mental anguish, the possible fear Gideon felt as he watched 2/3 of his army leave.

But then, God says, “You still have too many people. Let’s reduce the numbers.” And the number of soldiers in Israel’s army went from 10,000 down to 300.

Start your march to fight with 32,000 soldiers. Arrive at the battleground with 300. Call me crazy, but I would be terrified to head into a fight with so small a number.

But as I read this verse it made me wonder, “Are there areas in our lives we are not seeing victory because we are depending on our own power and not on God?”

Hear me out. I’m not trying to develop a theology that says we will never see victory or success as long as we try to do it on our own. People have overcome addictions and obstacles in their own lives who don’t believe in God. Nor am I saying we should just sit back in our La-Z-Boy recliners in life sipping an iced tea while God does all the work.

But I wonder, spiritually speaking, if we aren’t stuck in a rut, stunted in our growth, or drowning in the shallow end because we are more focused on what we can do to overcome than we are depending on God to do His mighty work.

It is interesting that God told His prophet Zechariah, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6; ESV). 

Let’s ask ourselves a couple questions. Where might God be saying “you’re depending too much on your own strength” in your life and spiritual growth right now? What are some ways we can depend more on Him and less on our own abilities? 

Remember, often when we are following God, it is best to go with the idea that less is more: less of us and more of Him.

-Pastor Brian

Romans 4:17-21; NASB
17 (as it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

Belief. Belief is a funny word. What do you believe in? What do the American people believe in?

According to our constitution and other important documents, these are some of the core beliefs set forth for all Americans:

1. LIFE: an individual’s rights to life should be considered inviolable (except in extreme circumstances)
2. LIBERTY: an unalterable aspect of the human condition (includes personal, political, and economic freedom)
3. PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: it is the right of American citizens to attempt to pursue/attain happiness in their own way as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others.
4. COMMON GOOD: public/common good requires that individual citizens have the commitment and motivation to promote the welfare of the community and work together with others for its benefit.
5. JUSTICE: people should be treated fairly in the distribution of the benefits of society, and the correction of wrongs and injuries.
6. EQUALITY: all citizens have political, legal, social, and economic equality.

I know, I know. Thanks for the history/American Government lesson pastor. I get it. But as I read through that list, how are we doing as Americans? We can say we believe in these things, but are these beliefs being lived out? Are these beliefs being held in regard by all Americans as, “this is the only way this is going to work and none of us can stray from it”?

Shift with me, because I’m not here to write about the state of American society. That is an important topic. But I also believe the only way society can change is through the humility of the people to submit themselves to God and invite Him to lead. I know, how naive of me.

Abraham wasn’t a perfect person. He deceived Abimelech about the true nature of his relationship with his wife Sarah. While waiting for God to fulfill his promise of a son, he followed his wife’s counsel and slept with her maidservant. Like you and I, he had his failures (but how great is it that when the writers talk about Abraham, they don’t focus on his failures but rather on his faith….God’s grace is an amazing thing!).

I love the picture we see of Abraham here: he believed God. He believed God’s promise. He believed in God’s power to fulfill that promise. He believed on his own he was woefully unable to fulfill the promise. He needed God to intervene. And he trusted God to intervene, because God said He would.

There are some critical statements about belief we should pay attention to:
“He believed God who gives life to the dead and calls things into being that do not exist.” Wow! The belief Abraham has says a lot! God gives life to the dead and calls things into being that don’t exist! In other words, Abraham believed that God is a God of the impossible, the unthinkable, and the unimaginable! There is nothing that God cannot do.

“He did not waver in unbelief but was fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform.” Faithful. Trustworthy. Promise keeper. These are the thoughts and beliefs of Abraham. 

And Abraham didn’t just believe these things in his mind. He didn’t just think, “It would be really cool if God did all He said He would do.” He believed it. And in believing it, he lived it out.

Did you know it took twenty years for God to fulfill this promise of a son/heir. 20 years. 20 long, agonizing, waiting, when is it going to happen, years. 240 months. 1042 weeks. 7300 days. 175,000 hours. 10,512,000 minutes. That is a long time to wait.

And Abraham waited. And believed. And waited. And believed. And each passing minute/moment/day Abraham didn’t weaken in his faith, but he grew stronger in it. 
I think the key thing about Abraham is that while he waited for God to fulfill His promise, he walked in his faith. He lived his faith. He waited, but he didn’t sit there doing nothing. He kept moving forward and he trusted God.

Recently I asked people to share some of their troubles and struggles in life. The list was overwhelming (and heartbreaking). Over and over I read words like this: doubts of self worth/value, anxiety, depression, worry, regrets, discontentment, and an aching heart.

These are some pretty big and heavy things. Sometimes they can completely immobilize a person and render them overwhelmed, sinking them deeper and deeper into despair.

Can I share something with you? 
God gives life to the dead and calls things into being that do not exist. 
Yeah, well that’s all and good, but what does that have to do with you and the things you struggle with.
God gives life to the dead and calls things into being that do not exist. 
I know. I hear that and read that, but how does it help me?
God gives life to the dead and calls things into being that do not exist. 

How many times are you going to keep writing that sentence pastor?!? Well, until we get it. Until we understand it. Until, like Abraham, we believe it.

It might take days, months, weeks, or years to overcome our burdens and struggles. Maybe, like the apostle Paul, it will be a thorn in our side, daily reminding us that God’s grace is enough for us. 

Time and time again God’s Word reminds us to cast our cares and burdens on Him. Our challenge today, like Abraham, is do we believe that? Do we believe that God gives life to the dead and calls things into being that do not exist?

Believe on God. Not just “in” God, but “on” God. He is bigger than all you are dealing with. He is the God of the impossible. Whether it is through prayer, reading God’s Word, friendships, working with a counselor, or even medication…God has an innumerable amount of ways that He works in our lives. Trust Him to lead you.

My hope and prayer….this helps you to believe in God. Believe He is real. Believe He is with you right now. Believe He is bigger and stronger than the burdens and struggles in your life. Believe that He will never leave you or forsake you. Believe He loves you. Believe that He has overcome the world. Believe that He is holding you, right now, in the palm of His hands.

Maybe belief isn’t such a funny word after all. Maybe it is a word that, every time I read or hear it, I am reminded of the God I believe in…the God who routinely does the impossible.
 
-Pastor Brian

Romans 3:1-2, NASB
Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God.

We’ve probably all heard and memorized the line from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The phrase actually dates back to way earlier then Spider-Man (there’s a use of that phrase in a French document regarding public safety written in 1793, and even in Jesus’ teaching - “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” - Luke 12:48). Yeah, the most famous line from Spider-Man is actually from Jesus. Awesome!

Have you ever been given a big responsibility? Maybe at work you were put in charge of a project. Or maybe in your household you are in charge of managing the money and making sure bills are paid.

There is a lot of power when getting behind the wheel of a vehicle….and a tremendous amount of responsibility. I remember I would do some dumb things as a younger driver. Then one day I realized, “What if, while driving “fun” like this, a child stepped out in front of me and I hit them with my vehicle?” Thankfully God reminded me that there is a huge responsibility to driving, and I was able to change my ways before something dreadful happened.

Something really struck me as I was reading this Romans passage. Talking about Israel, Paul rhetorically asks about advantages and benefits. But his first response is awe inspiring - they were entrusted with the actual words of God.

Let that thought stir in your minds for a minute. Of all the benefits and advantages Paul could list here, he goes to the actual words of God. And that Israel was the caretakers of God’s Word. That is a a very weighty statement.

Talk about a responsibility. Wow! But what was that responsibility? What did it mean that they were entrusted with God’s Word?

First, it meant that they knew first hand what God required/desired of them. For other nations, they weren’t sure from day to day what to do to appease their gods. But Israel, Israel knew exactly what God was asking them to do.

Second, not only were they entrusted with the words of God about how to live their lives, the same were also very clearly revealed who God was. Yes, as Psalm 19 says, the heavens declare the glory of God for all the nations to see. Nature reveals a picture of God. But the Word of God more accurately and clearly revealed God to Israel.

And third, they were entrusted to not only keep God’s Word, but to pass it on to others. Deuteronomy 6:7 states, “And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.” Meaning, they were to not only let God’s Word guide them, they were to share it and teach it wherever they went as well.

By now you’ve probably figured out where this is going. Just as Israel was entrusted with the actual words of God, so too are Christ followers today. The question I have is this: What are you doing with the actual words of God?

Are you living them out? Are you teaching them? Are you talking about them on the way and at home? Are you treasuring them? Are you letting them collect dust on a bookshelf somewhere?

Ooops. How did that slip in there? Probably because more often than not, we don’t realize the great privilege we have today with our access to the word of God. And sometimes life gets so busy, we just don’t have time to read it.

Listen, I understand. I get it. I’ve had those days. Those days where you just want to disappear and not have to engage with anyone or anything, just hide in a silence somewhere. Or to get lost in a book or magazine or TV show that is just sort of mind numbing so you don’t have to think. Believe me, I’ve been there a lot.

But as followers of Christ, we cannot neglect the entrustment he has given us with His Word. Why do I push for people to be consistent in reading their Bibles? As much as I love preaching and teaching God’s Word, you will see more growth in your walk with Christ by a consistent reading of His Word then you would just by listening to sermons.

And as I read Romans 3 I was quickly reminded of the great power God has given us in His Word. In it He reveals Himself clearly. In it He reveals what He wants from us. And with the great power of God’s Word comes a great responsibility: let’s get out there and share it and talk about it with others.

-Pastor Brian

Matthew 20:29-34, NASB
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two people who were blind, sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” But the crowd sternly warned them to be quiet; yet they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

What motivates you to do something?

Maybe it is the thought of a reward. “If I do this thing, then I will get this in return.”

Maybe it is fear based. “If I don’t do this thing, I’m afraid that I will get into trouble or hurt the relationship of the person who asked me to do it.”

Maybe it is because you are a people pleaser. “I have to do this thing so that people think I am this, that, or the other”

Maybe it is because of guilt. “I didn’t do this other thing, so I better do this so everything will smooth out and be ok.”

I can type all these things because I have responded in all these ways. I'm sure there are a plethora (yes, I know what a plethora is) of other reasons we can list. I don’t know where you are at, and your reasons. But I can be sure that every response we have is driven by some type of motivation.

I love reading the Gospels, and seeing the way Jesus lived life, interacted with people, and took the time to be interrupted by people, especially people who were hurting. And this story is no different.

Two blind people were crying out to Jesus for mercy, because they heard that Jesus was passing by. Whatever they have heard or learned, they knew Jesus could change their situation.

Let’s be honest for a minute. Most of us don’t really know what it is like to have little to no sight at all. These two men were blind. We don’t know if they were blind from birth, or if they developed blindness over time. We don’t know their age. All we know is at this moment and time, they were blind.

So I reached out to a couple brothers from our church, Mark and Chuck Resor, who have experienced loss of sight in their lifetime. Here are some of the things they talk about as being an everyday challenge that most people don’t experience nor understand:

1. Lack of independence
2. Lack of mobility
3. Unable to help others as much as I would like to
4. Unable to see the smiling faces of my grandchildren, family
5. Not being able to do things you know how to do, because you can’t complete it as well
6. Hearing construction projects but not being able to see the end results
7. Unable to see what they have found on Mars. I have heard the sounds, but wish I could see it, and see what the Rover looks like.
8. Wish I could see “Galaxy’s Edge” or “Star Wars Land” at Disneyland
9. Not being able to see food served to me (It’s very challenging. I, pastor Brian, went to a “Dining in the Dark” event, where they blindfold you and turn off the lights and serve dinner. Another friend, Ryan, who has very limited sight, coached me and told me you just have to use your hands to touch the food on your plate to know where it is, then just kind of shovel it onto your utensil, and get it into your mouth….think how hard it would be to eat rice and not being able to see it)
10. Grocery stores and grocery shopping
11. Not able to see artwork and paintings

On the flip side, they noted some other interesting things as well. Mark said, “It makes one more humble, which I think is a positive thing. It does allow one to be a better listener.” And Chuck also said this, “It has shown me how kind mankind can be…I believe needing help from people (who can see) has proven to be very helpful and shown that mankind is generous and loving.”

I want to thank Mark and Chuck for helping me put this together. We often take things for granted, including having our eyesight. Maybe it helps us understand why the two men in this story cried out, and then cried out all the more to Jesus.

But there is something else in this story which I think is amazing. It is three simple words about Jesus that get me every time: “Moved with compassion…”

The Greek word for compassion is one of the best words ever: splagchnizomai. Just so you know, spell check doesn’t like that word. How do you say it? What does it sound like? Like this: spla (like spa with an “l” added to it), gch (it sounds like you’re clearing your throat) knee - zo -my. Splagchnizomai.

Why is it one of my favorite words? Because it literally means to be moved in the bowels. To feel it in your gut. To double over. Jesus didn’t just have pity, he had empathy. He felt their need. He was gutted to the core (as a note, in the first century culture, it was believed that the bowels were the seat of love and pity).

Why did Jesus help these two men? To look good to the crowd around him? No. Out of obligation because He has healed other people. Nope. Because He felt guilty because He could see and they couldn’t. Not a chance.

Jesus was moved to action because of love, mercy, grace, compassion. It didn’t matter if there were a crowd of people there or not. In front of Him were a couple people in desperate need, and Jesus couldn’t stand to look the other way.

If I’m being honest, sometimes I relate more to the “crowd” in this story. Sometimes I am all too eager to push aside the “distractions” so I can keep moving forward to the destination.

And yet God’s Word pushes me to be more. God challenges me to be more like the two blind men. Who cried out for mercy, and when told to be quiet, cried out all the more. What do I have to learn from two blind men? Their great faith! They knew that a better life fully depended on Jesus and nothing else could help them.

Too many times I keep things to myself. I’m not that important. I don’t want to bother God. I can probably figure this out on my own (which never works out very well).

I am thankful for these two men, because they challenge me. They challenge my faith. They challenge my understanding of myself. And they challenge me to cry out to God.
Second, I am challenged by Jesus. Jesus, moved by no other emotion or reason then compassion, listens and heals. Not because of guilt, or obligation, or to please the crowd…or any other reason. Moved…with…compassion.

Lord God, I pray, I cry out, that you would help this broken heart. That you would chisel off the parts that have turned to stone. That you would redirect the areas where I have allowed false motivations to creep in. Help me to see others the way you see them. God I pray that you take away the guilt and all the other distractions, that I would be left with one thing….compassion. Your compassion.

-Pastor Brian

Psalm 40:1–4 (ESV)
I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

None of us likes to wait. We get impatient. We get frustrated. We wonder what’s taking so long.

We get upset that something was ordered on Amazon Prime and it says next day delivery but it didn’t get here until 6pm. Wha —!! The audacity of a company to say we will get something to you the next day and to not get it to us before noon.

Or if you’ve ever gone to El Pollo Loco, and used the drive through. You are immediately hit with the fact that this is taking waaaay to long. This is not fast food!

I love how Louis CK, when making fun of impatient people, remarks how a person is on their phone and frustrated that Google or Siri is taking so long to answer. And he buts in and says, “Can you just give it a second! It’s going up to space and coming back down….just….give it a second!”

These four verses from Psalm 40 are packed with rich nuggets of truth and advice. And they are written by King David, a man that knows a little bit about the ups and downs of life. When I read these verses it’s no wonder that David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart.

Before we tackle the first verse, let’s look at verse 2 - where was David. First he says “the pit of destruction.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound too pleasant. It doesn’t sound like a place I want to spend any amount of time in or even visit.

Did you ever see the movie “The Princess Bride?” If not, it’s worth a watch, if you have, you remember the scene where our hero, Westley, has been captured and is taken into a secret torture chamber, lovingly referred to as the pit of despair. The pit of destruction is that place. There’s no hope, seems to be no way out. The walls and roof are closing in and there is o escape.

Second, David references a miry bog. What’s that? It’s like swampy ground. Have you ever walked in really wet, slushy mud, where you foot seems to slink down into an endless abyss of massive suction. Then it takes almost all your strength to bring your foot out, and when you do you realize the mud has swallowed your shoe whole. It’s gone. You’re not going to find it or get it back. It’s exhausting.

This is “where" David says he has been. And what has he been doing in the horrific places in life. Waiting. Our Bible translates it as waiting patiently. It is actually the same Hebrew word for both (although the nuance of the second word gives the meaning or idea of patiently). Literally David is saying, “While waiting, I waited even more for the Lord.”

Maybe some of this resonates with you right now. Maybe you are in that pit of destruction, that miry bog. Maybe you’ve just arrived, maybe you have been there a little, or maybe you’ve been there so long you’ve lost count of the number of days or years.

Maybe emotionally or physically you are worn down. Maybe mentally you are on your last straw. Maybe financially you are barely keeping your head above water, and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight.

First let me say this, “I’m sorry.” I’m sorry you’re there. I wish life were perfect. I wish I can make it all better. I wish I could take all the struggles and hardship away.

But I can’t. What I can do is remind you that David, the man after God’s own heart, gets it. He’s been there too. He knows the struggles we can face in life. And I think he knew the secret that can help us out as well.

David knew he wasn’t alone. He knew the love and power and grace of God. He knew that God would not and had not abandoned him, even in his darkest days.

So he waited. He waited while waiting. He didn’t grumble. He didn’t shake his fist. He didn’t consult the proud. He didn’t try to solve the problem himself. He didn’t stand there all angry tapping his foot (he couldn’t; it was stuck and sunk down deep in the miry bog). He waited.

And….he trusted. He trusted God to know when to do what He does best. He didn’t rush God’s timeline. He didn’t beg. He waited and trusted and believed that God would deliver him.

Like tom Petty famously sang, “the waiting is the hardest part.” But the blessings that come from waiting on the Lord are invaluable.

How is your waiting going? Patient? Impatient? Frustrated? Content? Vocal? Silent? Complaining? The truth is you decide how you wait. David gave us a great example - while waiting I waited, patiently.

What happened to David, that he shares with us. God rescued him. God pulled him from the sinking, sticky, miry bog and set his feet on solid ground, where He didn’t sink into the earth. God gave David the assurance in each step that he took, that he didn’t need to worry about falling, slipping, or sinking (or losing another shoe).

And I love this: God gave David a new song to sing. Another reason to shout out praise to God for His great love and mercy and kindness.

God gives us a reason to celebrate. That might seem so far away from some of you, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Think back to other times God has delivered you. Maybe it wasn’t anything huge or big; maybe it was small. But God has a way of rescuing us (over and over and over). And each rescue is a reason to sing.

God has got you. He is with you. Even in your greatest despair, you are not alone. Trust Him. Wait on His timing for rescue. And he will give you even more reasons to sing.

I love how Henry Blackaby talks about our times of waiting on the Lord:

“Grass that is here today and gone tomorrow does not require much time to mature. A giant oak tree that lasts for generations requires much more time to grow strong.”